The present invention relates to improvements in feeder bottles but more particularly a device for increasing flow from a bottle.
In the course of animal rearing, particularly the rearing of calves, a bottle is often used for feeding which includes a teat similar to that of a cow.
A common problem encountered is that standard teats can produce only slow liquid flow when used with a bottle. This is especially a problem when nursing a very young or sick calf which requires a high liquid intake. The bottle must be squeezed to substantially increase flow.
The most common method for overcoming this flow problem is simply to cut off the end of the teat. The flow from the bottle is substantially increased, however, the teat is now damaged beyond repair and can no longer perform its normal operation of regulating flow to the animal to correspond with the milk flow of its mother. Quality teat feeder designs can be relatively expensive and so it is not desirable to destroy them by cutting off the tip.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a construction whereby flow through a feeder bottle can be increased without damaging the teat.
In one broad aspect of the invention there is provided a venting device for use in increasing flow from a feeding bottle, the device including an elongate shaft having a distal end which in use is engageable through an opening in the feeding bottle, a retention part associated with the distal end to in use retain the distal end within the bottle, and a channel, the shaft further including a sealing portion and a finger grippable portion whereby in use the shaft can be moved longitudinally from a sealing position, where the sealing portion sealingly engages in the opening, to a venting position where the channel establishes a clearance between the opening and the shaft for venting of the feeding bottle.